Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Is that a light up ahead?

I received the following letter from the United States Department of State National Visa Center, twelve days ago:

Dear Elizabeth Hard Shaw:
Your inquiry has been received at the National Visa Center (NVC).
Your request for expeditious processing of this immigrant visa petition was denied by the assigned U.S. Embassy/Consulate General. This petition will continue processing at the NVC. Once all the required fees and documents are received and reviewed, and an interview appointment date is scheduled, this petition will be forwarded to the assigned U.S. Embassy/Consulate General.
For further information regarding NVC processing, please visit www.immigrantvisas.state.gov

I read it, with shaking hands, these official seals always make my hands shake, that is what they are meant to do, no, while sitting on the back steps in the warm early- days- of March sun.

When I got to the part about the request for expeditious review being denied, I cried. I had been counting on that, I don't know why, but I realize now, there is no reason why I should have expected it to be granted. Who am I?

After a brief pity party I wiped my face and went back inside to face my children. I had decided not to tell them about the letter.

That evening, just four hours or so after reading the letter, I got an e-mail from the NVC. It read:

Dear Sir/Madam,
The attached correspondence relates to an immigrant visa referenced on the subject line. This case is being processed by the National Visa Center. Please read the information carefully and follow the instructions.

Attachment:

Dear IAN M.:
The enclosed information pertains to IAN RODGER M's interest in immigrating to the
United States of America. The National Visa Center (NVC) has completed its processing of IAN
RODGER M 's petition, case number XXXX; and forwarded it to the American
Embassy/Consulate in PARIS.
An immigrant visa interview has been scheduled for the applicant at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in
PARIS on April 10, 2012 at 01:00 pm.

"Interest in immigrating to the United States of America? Why does that wording annoy me?

The attachment goes on for another three boring pages. I'll spare you.

I should be excited, I know. We have a date. Well an interview date. And I kind of am excited. Excited and relieved. But I'm also kind of irked that every step has to have at least six weeks in between it and the next step. It feels gratuitously cruel, or somehow manipulating.

I mean, dentists appointments must be made months in advance too. But no one really wants to go to the dentist anyway.

But the very widely-spaced steps put forth by this immigration process take a very long stride and an enormous amount of patience, more than the average little girl who is missing her daddy has.

But what's another month, or two, when your daddy has been missing for 10 already?

Baby steps. Progress. Lights at the end of a long, dark tunnel. And all that.

16 comments:

Submitted before I finished my comment, sorry. I am happy to hear that you have news. I know how it is to not hear from INS. It took me 6 looooong years to get my Green Card. The Department of Labor just filed a few of our paperwork as 'done' and ofcourse never responded for almost 4 years. When a change in their management finally prompted a review of their processes at which time our cases were 'found' again.

Whenever I see that you've written a new blog post my heart jumps a little in hopes that you've heard some news! I know I don't know you personally, but I've been reading your posts on Baby Center since you started writing for them a few years ago. I cannot imagine how hard it must be for you and the girls to be away from your husband for this long and over such a stupid, bureaucratic thing!

This is definitely good news! He has the interview date, and it's less than a month away. Once the interview is done it shouldn't be long before he can go home. I know it still seems like forever, and it has taken a long time. But now you have a date - something to put in your calendar and count the days until it's here. Hopefully the whole ordeal won't take longer than a year, of which 3/4 have already passed. I'm very happy for your family.

Morrissey and the Smiths do seem strangely apt for this post: "You say it's going to happen now, but what exactly do you mean? You see, I've already waited too long." I get why that "interest in immigrating to the U.S." would bug you--uh, duh, he already lived here for a long time and his whole freakin' family is here waiting for him! It sounds like typical bureaucracy speak for a situation that no one has paid any real attention to besides your family. Anyway, I have a good feeling about the interview. I feel like a conversation with a real human being is a better sign of progress than the weird language of the letters. A work friend of mine and her husband are planning for his daughter in Mali to come live with them in the U.S., and they're waiting for an interview date, too. It sounds like they'll have one this summer, and I'm hoping for resolution soon for both families. Like some of the other posters, I only "know" you from BabyCenter and here, but I think of your family often.

We just spent a wonderful week down south in the sun just the 5 of us. It's been nice having daddy around for the children especially but for me too. We're back to reality and for some reason I feel like I've taken 3 steps back in the whole grieving I left Australia process. At least it's getting warmer and brighter...

Those last few weeks, hours, days, minutes always seem to lag longer than the time you've already spent. If that makes any sense.

I too look forward to your posts and root for you - even though I'm only a virtual observer... Hugs if you need them! :)

Yeah! Oh my did my heart jump at your opening picture. How I wish there was something 'we' could do for you to speed up this process. In the mean time I will pray for you and your family and keep reading...waiting for that happy day! I am pretty sure I will cry.

About Me

This is where I write about being human and raising little humans and... oh the humanity. Oh yes, and returning to Vermont, after living in France. I'm taking reentry one day at a time with my eyes always fixed on the horizon.